Knysna Local Municipality

Knysna Local Municipality (Afrikaans: Knysna Munisipaliteit; Xhosa: uMasipala wase Knysna) is a municipality part of Garden Route District Municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. As of 2011 the population is 68,659.[2] Its municipal code is WC048.

Knysna
Local municipality
Seal
Location of Knysna within the Western Cape
Coordinates: 34°00′S 23°00′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictGarden Route
SeatKnysna
Wards10
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
Area
 • Total1,109 km2 (428 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total68,659
 • Density62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African36.1%
 • Coloured40.9%
 • Indian/Asian0.4%
 • White21.0%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans51.2%
 • Xhosa28.4%
 • English15.4%
 • Other5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeWC048

Geography

The municipality covers an area of 1,109 square kilometres (428 sq mi) between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains around the town of Knysna. It abuts on the George Municipality to the north and west, and on the Bitou Municipality to the east.

According to the 2011 census the municipality has a population of 68,659 people in 21,893 households. Of this population, 40.9% describe themselves as "Coloured", 36.1% as "Black African", and 21.0% as "White". The first language of 51.2% of the population is Afrikaans, while 28.4% speak Xhosa and 15.4% speak English.[4]

Most of the residents of the municipality live in the town of Knysna, which as of 2011 has a population of 51,078. Knysna is situated on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon; other coastal settlements are Sedgefield (pop. 8,361) and Buffelsbaai (pop. 71). Away from the coast are agricultural settlements at Rheenendal (pop. 3,936) and Karatara (pop. 880).

Politics

The municipal council consists of twenty-one members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eleven wards, while the remaining ten are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 3 August 2016 no party obtained a majority of seats on the council. The Democratic Alliance (with ten seats) formed a coalition with the African Christian Democratic Party (one seat) and an independent councillor.[5]

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[6][7][8]

PartyVotesSeats
WardListTotal%WardListTotal
Democratic Alliance 12,09812,48924,58749.6%6410
ANC 7,7778,15315,93032.1%347
Congress of the People 1,4301,4022,8325.7%101
Independent 1,4621,4622.9%11
Knysna Unity Congress 5355031,0382.1%011
ACDP 4624368981.8%011
Economic Freedom Fighters 4274208471.7%000
Independent Civic Organisation 3503507001.4%000
African Independent Congress 1643365001.0%000
Freedom Front Plus 2091753840.8%000
Ubuntu Party 111521630.3%000
South African Religious Civic Organisation 3636720.1%000
Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners 2544690.1%000
Democratic New Civic Association 49490.1%00
South Africa Civics 1222340.1%000
Total 25,14724,41849,565111021
Valid votes 25,14724,41849,56597.7%
Spoilt votes 2878861,1732.3%
Total votes cast 25,43425,30450,738
Voter turnout 25,518
Registered voters 40,014
Turnout percentage 63.8%

The independent lost his seat to the African National Congress (ANC) in a by-election on 13 February 2019.[9] Council composition was reconfigured as seen below:

Party WardPR listTotal
Democratic Alliance 6410
ANC 448
ACDP 011
Congress of the People 101
Knysna Unity Congress 011
Total 111021

The local council sends three representatives to the council of the Garden Route District Municipality. As of February 2017 this delegation consisted of two councillors from the Democratic Alliance and one from the African National Congress.

History

Joy Cole was first elected mayor under the DA in December 2000 but defected in the September 2004 floor-crossing to become an ANC-aligned independent and reconstituted the council under ANC control. Cole formed a broad-based coalition of the ANC and DA after the March 2006 local government elections when neither party had obtained an outright majority. After Cole resigned in December 2006 to pursue another career, Doris Wakeford-Brown of the DA formed a multi-party coalition. This short-lived coalition collapsed in May 2007 when the Knysna Civic Alliance switched allegiances to the ANC, which brought Eleanore Bouw-Spies in as the new mayor. In the September 2007 floor crossing window the two civic party councillors defected to the ANC, giving the party an outright majority of 9 seats out of 16. Bouw-Spies' term as mayor ended when the DA won an absolute majority in the 2011 election and Georlene Wolmarans was elected mayor. In the 2016 election the DA fell short of an absolute majority, but formed a coalition with the ACDP and an independent councillor. Bouw-Spies, who had crossed to the DA in 2014, returned for a second term as mayor.[10]

Bouw-Spies was removed as mayor after an ANC-initiated vote of no confidence in June 2018. The motion was supported by two DA councillors, Mark Willemse and Peter Myers. Willemse was then elected as the new mayor with COPE member Ricky van Aswegen as deputy mayor.[11] The DA has instituted disciplinary action against its two members, but the matter has dragged on into 2019 without a solution as of yet.

Mayors
  • Charles Thobi (2002–2004)
  • Joy Cole (December 2000 – September 2004) (DA)
  • Joy Cole (September 2004 – March 2006) (Independent)
  • Joy Cole (March 2006 – December 2006) (ANC)
  • Doris Wakeford-Brown (December 2006 – May 2007) (DA)
  • Eleanore Bouw-Spies (May 2007 – May 2011) (ANC)
  • Georlene Wolmarans (May 2011 – August 2016) (DA)
  • Eleanore Bouw-Spies (August 2016 – June 2018) (DA)
  • Mark Willemse (June 2018 – present)

References
  1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. "Knysna Local Municipality". Census 2011.
  5. "Political composition of councils February 2017" (PDF). Western Cape Department of Local Government. February 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  6. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Knysna" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  7. "Seat Calculation Detail: Knysna" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  8. "Voter Turnout Report: Knysna" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  9. "DA retains strong Sea Point seat, fails to wrest Knysna ward from ANC". Eyewitness News. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  10. "DA falls short of a majority in Knysna". The Citizen. ANA. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  11. https://www.knysnaplettherald.com/News/Article/General/mark-willemse-new-executive-mayor-of-knysna-201806060903
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